'First day of school' for new Angel Wells

After 14 years in the Toronto Blue Jays' organization, Vernon Wells headed west from his Texas home for spring training rather than east to Florida. At camp with the rest of the Angels' position players who reported on Friday, Wells said it was like "my first day of school" and he went around the room to introduce himself to players in his new clubhouse.

The lesson plan for Wells in his first spring with the Angels will involve learning a new position. The Angels envision an outfield with Peter Bourjos in center field and two Gold Glove-winning centerfielders in the corners – Torii Hunter in right and Wells in left, a position he has only played for a few innings in the All-Star Game.

"It's pretty much, 'Ball's hit, go catch it,'" Wells said. "I've been around this game long enough. There's more backing up bases (as a left fielder), more angles to take in different ways, paying more attention to how a lot of the cutoffs are and how different angles jut out down the line in different stadiums.

"After all the preparation you put into it, there'll be no thought put into it once the game starts."

A three-time Gold Glove winner as a centerfielder (2004-06), Wells said he doesn't take the move to left as a blow to the pride he took in playing center field.

No. When you get to a different position, you want to be the best at that position," Wells said. "If I'm going to wind up playing left, I want to be the best left fielder in the game. I'll work to be that."

While asserting that Wells "absolutely" can be a great defensive left fielder, Angels manager Mike Scioscia said that's not what the team is asking from him.

"As athletic as Vernon is, as much talent as he has, it should be a position that he settles into a real comfort area with," Scioscia said. "But you're not going to impact the game as much from the defensive end from left field as you are from center field. There's an advantage to having a plus-defensive left fielder which we feel we have. But Vernon's defensive contribution would show up more if he were playing center field every day.

"I don't think there's pressure on him to be a great left fielder. ... I don't think that's as important as what we're going to need Vernon to do on the offensive end. That's going to be important."

NOTES

ESPN's Baseball Tonight crew was at Tempe Diablo Stadium Friday as part of its tour of all the spring training camps. Tim Kurkjian and John Kruk conducted interviews with Angels players. That made for an eye-catching pairing of the 5-foot-5 Kurkjian and 7-foot-1 right-hander Loek Van Mil in the Angels' clubhouse. ... Maicer Izturis' wife gave birth to the family's second child and first son, Maicer Jr., on Thursday and Izturis did not travel to Arizona from his native Venezuela until Friday. He is expected to join the Angels on the field for Saturday's first full-squad workout. Minor-league shortstop Darwin Perez was also traveling from Venezuela Friday.